Cigarette-rod drive for cigarette machines



Sept. 22,1931.

W. B. BRONANDER CIGARETTE ROD DRIVE FOR CIGARETTE MACHINES Filed Nov. 1, 1929 o9 ar 6% ATTORNEY Fatented Sept. 22, 1931 .uNirsosrATEs PATENT orrics.

WIL ELM B. BRONANDER, or MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, Asszenon TO AMERICAN MACHINE & FOUNDRY COMPANY, A CORPORATION'OF JnRsnY CIGARETTE-Ron :onrv'n FOR CIGARETTE. nacnmns Applicationfiled November '1, 1929. Serial No. 404,168.

This invention relates to cigarette rod drives for cigarettemachines. object of the invention is, in'such a dr1ve,to provide for maintaining a powerful driving grip on the rod feeding tape which will be ample to prevent any slipping of the tape with respect to its drive, without imposing any considerable longitudinal tension on the tape for this purpose. Such a result is very desirable in cigarette machines because a variation in the feeding of the rod due to slipping of the tape relative to the drive pulley, which is interconnected by gear or chain with the cutofi and tobacco feeding mechanism, will result, indefective cigarettes through a variation in the length of the cigarette or the quantity of tobacco therein. get out of register.

Hitherto, it has been the practice to put sufficient longitudinal tension on the belt, by means of a spring pressed idler, to prevent slipping. This arrangement, however, has not been wholly satisfactory because it imposed a strain on the necessarily thin and flexible tape, which resulted in unduewear and, of course, an interruption in the operation of the machine each time the tape had to be replaced.

With this and other objects not specifically mentioned in view, the invention consists in certain constructions and combinations which will be hereinafter fully described and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference indicate, the same or like elements: i

Fig. 1 is a top view of a cigarette rod drive constructed in accordance with the invention; a

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1; and c Fig. 3 is a detail sectional'end elevation taken on line 33 of Fig. 2.

In carrying the invention into eifect there is provided an endless tapefor feeding the rod of a continuous rod cigarette machine, a pulley for driving the tape, and a belt adjacent said pulley, said pulley and belt be- The main Also, printing or cork tipping will lngarranged to grip a loop of the tape between them to. thereby firmly grip the ther provided a drive pulley for said belt and positively acting means for connecting the tape pulley and the belt pulley for movement with the same peripheral speed, this means preferably taking the form of gears connecting said. belt pulley and tape pulley. The various means and parts referred to may be varied widely in constructionwithin the scope of the claims, for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the precise details of the structure shown and described. i

Referring now to the drawings, the pedes tal 5 of the cigarette machine carries a frame 6 supporting a rod forming tube 7 in which the advancing cigarette paper P, which is fed by an endless tape 8, is folded aroundthe tobacco layer T carried by it,

to form the cigarette rod C. The rod feeding tape 8 is driven through the rod form ing tube 7 by the large pulley 9 on the drive shaft 10. The tape is guided in the direction of the arrows v(Fig. 2) 1 over a small pulley 11, mounted for rotation ona stud 13, over the adjustable idler 1 1 attached to an arm 15 on stud 16, thence over pulley 17 on stud 16, thence through the concave forming guide 18 pivoted toframe 6, and then over the small guide pulley 19 mounted for rotation on a laterallyadjustable bearing arm 201attachedyto the sup port6..- 7 H c An auxiliary endless belt 22 is provided traveling in the direction of the arrows (Fig. 2), andis caused to form an operat-' ingloop enwrapp'ing the tape driving pulley 9 by pulley23 rotating on stud 25 and by pulley 11 on stud 13, overwhich the end loops of the belt run. This belt is tensioned by an idler 26 on arm27. It bears against the loop of belt 8 formedby: drive pulley 9 and included between pulleys 23 and 11. The shaft- 10, and the studs 13, 16 and 25 V to the arms of pulley 9 and drives 33 on the pulley 9 and gear 34: on the pulley 11.

The spur gear 33 on shaft 10 is fastened the spur gear 34, on stud 18, attached to the web of pulley 11, the working radius of the teeth being equal tothat of the faces of the tape and belt driving pulleys so that the pulley and belt are positively connected for move mentat the same peripheral speed. The pulley 9, which is loosely mounted on shaft 10,'is driven by a pawl 36 fastened to one ofits'arms and pulled into contact with a ratchet 37, fast on drive shaft 10, by a springBS. Then it is desired to stop the rod feed while the machine is in operation, the pawl 36 is lifted off the ratchet 37 and turned around its pivot until the spring 38 has crossed to the other side of the latter. The spring then holds the pawl off the ratchet, and the pulley 9 is loose on shaft 10.

It will be seen that the loop of the tape formed by the driving pulley 9 is firl'nly gripped between the pulley and an operating loop of the belt 22. Since this belt and the face of the pulley are positively driven at the same surface speed, the tape will be driven from both sides and, moreover, since the grip on the belt is due to the opposed pressure of the pulley and belt 22, said grip will be almost independent-of the longitudinal tension on the tape. -Tlie pressure exerted by idler pulley 14 will, therefore, be set to exert a light pressure on the tape just sufiicient to take up slack and, consequently, the belt will be under little longitudinal strain. Accordingly, a tape drive is provided which issubstantially as positive and as little subject to slipping or creeping as a chain or gear'drive, and which decreases wear on the belt as compared with drives hitherto used for this purpose.

What is claimed is:'

1. In a continuous rod cigarette machine, the combination with an endless tape for feeding the rod, of a pulley for driving the tape, and a belt adjacent said pulley and travelling with said tape, said pulley and belt being arranged to grip a loop of the tape bet-ween them.

2. In a continuous rod cigarette machine,

the combination with an endless tape for feeding the rod, of a pulley for driving the tape, and a belt adjacent said pulley and travelling with said tape, said pulley and belt being arranged to grip a loop of the tape between them, said belt having an operating loop enwrapping said pulley.

3. In a continuous rod cigarette machine, the combination with an endless tape for feeding the rod, of a pulley for driving the tape, a belt adjacent said pulley, said pulley and belt'being arranged to grip a loop of the tape between them, a drive pulley for said belt, and positively acting means for connecting the tape pulley and the belt pulley for movement at the same peripheral speed.

4. In a continuous rod cigarette machine, the combination with an endless tape for feeding the rod, of a pully for driving the tape, a belt adjacent-said pulley, said pulley and belt being arranged to grip a loop of the tape between them, a drive pulley for said belt, and gears connecting the belt pulley and the tape pulley.

5. In a continuous rod cigarette machine. the combination with an endless tape for feeding the rod, of a pulley for driving the tape, a belt adjacent said pulley, said pulley and'helt being arranged to grip a loop of the tapebetween them, and means for exerting a tension on said belt just sufficient to take up slack.

6. A non-slip drive for endless tapes comprising a drive pulley forming a loop in said tape and a belt engaging said loop and travelling with said tape, said pulley and said belt co-acting to grip the loop between them. I V

7. A non-slip drive for endless tape comprising a drive pulley forming a loop in said tape and a belt engaging said loop, said pulley and said belt coacting to grip the loop between them, a drive pulley for said belt, 

